'I feel lucky that I was close to him throughout my childhood and felt comfortable talking about this with him.'Īlthough Andras is the main character, Alfred's experiences show up in several characters. 'It would have been impossible to write the book without talking to my uncle,' Orringer said. She said she and her great-uncle spent hours talking on his porch. Orringer spent seven years researching and writing The Invisible Bridge, traveling to Columbus from her New York home to interview Alfred. Charles Preparatory School and Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Alfred became a sculptor whose works - often tributes to Holocaust victims or with themes of peace - are prominent in Columbus, including pieces at Congregation Agudas Achim, St. 23, 1945.Īfter Andrew and Alfred immigrated to the United States in 1957, they changed their surnames to Tibor to honor their brother. Tibor Goldstein died in a prison camp on Feb. Before and during World War II, they, along with many other Jews, were persecuted and imprisoned by both the Hungarian government and Nazi Germany. Andrew Tibor was the model for the book's central character, Andras.Īndrew, Alfred and a third brother, Tibor, were born with the surname Goldstein. Tibor and his brother Andrew, Orringer's grandfather, were the inspiration for the tale. The rest of The Invisible Bridge, though, proves that truth really can be stranger than fiction. 'That was my creation as a basis for the narrative arc of the story.' She had closely followed the major historic events of the family, but when it came to the main's character's love affair, she pleaded guilty as charged. Told of Tibor's reaction, his grand-niece and the book's author, Julie Orringer, laughed.

'It was beautifully written,' the Far East Side resident said, 'but the love story is made up.' When Alfred Tibor finished reading The Invisible Bridge, a novel based on his Jewish family's experiences in World War II-era Hungary, he had two strong reactions.

The invisible bridge book